URGENT PETITION: Newborn orca L128 is believed to be dying already, and we must take immediate action to protect her family!

Newborn calf L128 was born just a month or so ago to Southern Resident killer whale L-pod — but after being recently spotted looking frail, emaciated, and barely breathing, researchers believe she is already DYING.

Without enough Chinook salmon to sustain orca mothers and keep their babies alive, the mortality rate for newborn orca calves is as high as 50%, and these endangered orcas are on the brink of EXTINCTION.

Due to poor government regulations, corporate overfishing has run rampant in the Pacific Northwest: depriving desperate orcas of the Chinook salmon they need to survive. Corporate overfishing also threatens traditional fishing practices and the communities who depend on the bounty of the sea for their livelihoods.

Unless there is swift and bold government intervention from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), these greedy companies will only continue to put orcas, people, and the planet at risk for the sake of profit. Will you be a voice for these beloved marine animals today and help protect L128’s family before it’s too late?

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Dear NOAA/NMFS,

As someone who cares about the West Coast endangered Southern Resident killer whale and salmon, please consider my comments.

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council and National Marine Fisheries Service must take even more decisive action to protect the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). Only 73 Southern Resident killer whales remain in the wild, near their lowest number in four decades. The Southern Resident killer whale recovery goals, as defined by NOAA, are not being met, and neither are the recovery goals of threatened Chinook prey. The health of Southern Resident killer whales is closely tied to Chinook salmon abundance on the West Coast. Scientists have found a strong correlation between coastwide Chinook abundance and Southern Resident health indicators. As Chinook abundance declines, the Southern Residents’ health declines. This is partly because orca babies are starving to death. Additionally, the Council should analyze and consider benefits to Southern Residents from no ocean salmon harvest (beyond three miles from the coast) and/or closing the fishery unless the pre-season estimate of Chinook considers abundance thresholds that ensure adequate prey availability. We support tribal treaty laws and recognize that these management measures will be subject to sovereign nation consultation and potentially modified later.

Please do your part and stop pushing Southern Resident orcas toward extinction.

Sincerely,

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